IF you're planning to take to the slopes this winter, make sure your travel insurance cuts the ice.

You're risking financial agony as well as physical pain if you injure yourself on holiday without taking out adequate cover.

Breaking a leg in North America could easily cost you as much as #6,000 in medical bills.

Participating in winter sports without insurance is a risky business - more than one in eight skiers will suffer an injury.

The most common is to the knee, which affects 26 per cent of those hurt, followed by shoulder problems. The average bill, according to insurers Churchill, will be #3,000 no matter what the injury or where it occurred.

Winter sports cover should have more benefits than a normal travel policy, including medical cover for the cost of a mountain rescue.

Possessions cover should include lift passes and ski equipment, possibly even if it is left unlocked. Some policies also pay up if the slopes are closed because of too little or too much snow.

Generally, cover is for skiing or snowboarding, though occasionally there are unnecessary premium hikes for the latter. More adventurous winter sports, such as off-piste skiing and kite boarding, are not usually covered.

But many people get caught out by an insurance trap. Medical expenses are often only covered while you are abroad. When you return home you may well be left to the NHS.

Top orthopaedic doctor Simon Moyes has a Harley Street practice and sees hundreds of ski injury cases every year, but thousands more are languishing in an NHS queue. Mr Moyes says: "With proper treatment it should take just 12 weeks to recover fully from a knee ligament being torn.

But NHS queues means it can take that long just to see a specialist, so it is always important to check that your policy will pay for your medical care when you get home."

www.GoSure.com has a policy that covers private physiotherapy treatment when you get home. Expect to pay about #7 extra for a 10-day trip. Its usual prices are competitive too - #14.16 for a 14-day trip is one of the cheapest deals on the market.

Boots Travel cover costs from #32 and also includes physio when you get home.